Mar 12, Chennai: The second round of talks between the Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen will take place only after Sri Lanka releases all the detained fishermen, an Indian official has said.

In a letter to the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Ms. Suchitra Durai, Dr. S. Vijayakumar, secretary, Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department said the State government has categorically told the Centre that the next round of talks between Tamil Nadu fishermen and the fishermen from Sri Lanka may be held at Colombo on March 13 subject to the release of the Tamil Nadu fishermen and their boats in Sri Lankan custody.

"However, till the date we have not received any information regarding the release of the 177 Tamil Nadu fishermen and their 44 boats currently in Sri Lankan custody," the official said in his letter.

He reiterated that the Tamil Nadu fishermen and their boats in Sri Lankan custody will have to be released prior to the talks, to enable the talks to take place.

The official said the agenda for the proposed fishermen level talks, the list of participants from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the officials who will accompany the delegation had also been communicated.